Customer Reviews

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, I don't agree with the previous reviewers comments about The Magic Flute being racist and sexist. The Magic Flute, like Mozart's other operas, is about forgiveness and acceptance. Pamina is elevated to Priestess at the end of the opera- which was shocking in Mozart's day!

This is a fabulous recording, but there's one drawback, and it's too big to overlook- Cheryl Studer! She basically butchers The Queen of the Night. The airas are choppy, too subtle, and she cannot hit the high notes! The voice is far too thin than the commanding voice this role calls for. She is not on the level of other great queens of Jo, Deutekom, and Popp.

Although Kanawa and Ramey shine- which is reason alone to purchase this recording, Studer does it damage- to such a great extent that I cannot bring myself to listen to it again.

This is not meant as a slam against Studer. I respect her and do enjoy several recordings with her (Floyd's Susannah), however this role is not suited for her vocal abilities.

The Solti recording with Deutekom and Prey (as Papageno) is, in my opinion, the best recording out there. An added plus- it has the Vienna Philharmonic to back up the great cast!

While, admittedly, the orchestra on this set is wonderful too, but no orchestra can match the power of the Vienna Philharmonic!

My enjoyment of this version has been enhanced by the fact that it was my first complete recording of Die Zauberflote on CD, after years of listening to the classic Klemperer recording spread over six sides of scratchy old vinyl. Even so, I think the Penguin CD Guide's "Top Recommendation" was probably a bit over the top. And this version will only appeal if you want a full dramatic performance with spoken dialogue in German between the songs and some fairly strident sound-effects.

Now for the good news: This is an extraordinarily beautiful recording to listen to, and what sets it even further apart from most recordings is the sublime quality of the acting. Ramey sings like a velvet volcano and exudes warmth and wisdom - his performance as Sarastro is almost definitive. Araiza is almost too sweet-sounding for his own good - he's really more lyric than dramatic - but he suits the living-room hi-fi better than a melodramatic belter like Gedda. Nobody will ever sing Pamina and the Queen like Gundula Janowitz and Lucia Popp in the classic Klemperer set, but Dame Kiwi and American Cheryl Studer are outstanding in their own right.

However, the performer who really makes this set is Olaf Bar in the central role of Papageno. He is funny - even if you don't speak German - and he is beautiful to hear. His voice has been disciplined and sensitized by years of lieder singing (he is probably the world's leading exponent of Schumann's songs), and he makes the happy/sad/deep/shallow personality of the Birdman come alive.

In short, I'm delighted with this recording. I'm told that there are better digital versions around, and for outright musicality and pacing (if you don't mind a dated sound) the old Klemperer set is unbeatable. But if you want a complete dramatic performance of the opera, rather than just a stand-up concert performance of the music, then I cannot recommend this Neville Marriner version too highly.

Although most reviews on these pages do not speak so favourably about this recording of Mozart's Zauberflote, I find that it is one that works well for me. Apart from the clear, natural and atmospheric recorded sound, I feel that there are several things that make this Flute well worth owning. Firstly, Marriner's sensitive way with Mozart shines through when he leads the cast and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields through this light-hearted score, giving it a Viennese lilt and a sensitive lyricism without compromising on the drama in its more forceful moments. Secondly, the cast is like a top-quality cast. Despite the fact that most of the cast members are not native Germans, everyone is still able to interact and listen to each other without showing off. Dame Kiri is, of course, radiant in her part of Pamina, and Cheryl Studer makes a weighty Queen of the Night with an agile and effortless coloratura in her two arias. Samuel Ramey's weighty and benevolent Sarastro, Francisco Araiza's heady-toned Tamino, and especially Olaf Bar's Papageno only add to the delight of the rest of the major cast, and I should say that the supporting cast, especially the Queen's three ladies who sing with a rhythmic verve, only complement the main players. Thirdly, I would say that this is a Zauberflote that fits comfortably onto two discs rather than three. This is not only practical financially, but it also saves us the trouble of having to change our discs in the middle of an act. Overall, I find this, along with the digital Flutes from Solti and Karajan, among my true definitive recordings of this light-hearted and accessible Mozart opera. But if I had to pick only one definitive choice, I find that this one is it, combining an idiomatic flair with a sensitive cast.

As an aside, there is a highlights version of this recording available that contains all the essential numbers you would hope to find on a Zauberflote highlights disc.

Searching for the definitive recording of "The Magic Flute"?

Simply put: Search elsewhere.

There's no denying the talent of singers Samuel Ramey, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Cheryl Studer, but in this case they seem to have been the victims of a casting disaster. Despite the admirable efforts of Sir Neville Marriner and the singers themselves, the major roles seem unbalanced. Ramey, although one of the great basses of our time, lacks both the generosity of tone and basso profundo sound needed to fill Sarastro's arias. As a result, the role loses the majesty and solidity required to foil the Queen of the Night. On the other hand, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's voice seems all too mature for the role of Pamina. Te Kanawa's beautiful full lyric sound seems misplaced in this opera. Te Kanawa executes a solid interpretation of the aria "Ach, ich fühl's", but the weight of her voice undermines Pamina's youth, purity and naïveté - qualities vital to the vulnerability and believability of the piece.

Cheryl Studer's Queen of the Night is a third and near-fatal blow to the production. Studer's robust sound seems shoehorned into the role. Her coloratura often sounds forced and uncomfortable. Pitch and rhythm also fall under attack due to the vocal gymnastics required by the role. In a word, her "Der Holle Rache" is frightening and her arpeggio up to the high-F sounds completely unnatural. This is unfortunate because Studer has an incredible instrument capable of great power and agility. I would definitely recommend her recordings of Verdi, but this performance doesn't do justice to herself or to Mozart.

Ironically the rest of the recording is pretty good, but with the multitude of Magic Flute recordings available, I would encourage buyers to look elsewhere. Suggestions? I happen to enjoy the Harnoncourt recording on the TELDEC label. Both the full opera and "Highlights" version are available.

When this Magic Flute under Neville Marrienr was first released in 1990, even th Gramophone, usually the first to cheer for him and for Kiri Te Kanawa, was taken aback. Here is a cast full of stars, and yet everything seems strangely off. There are two major flaws. The first is the recorded sound, which is downright nasty, imparting a metallic edge even to the silken tones of Te Kanawa and Cheryl Studer. The second is Marriner, if he is responsible for the hard attacks that each singer uses, an aggressive style far from what we expect in Mozart.

The whole cast sounds grouchy and serious except for Dame Kiri, who is passive and dreamy. That's quite a mismatch of styles, and it undermines the opera, which should have at least some warm, humorous, relaxed moments. Olaf Bar sounds strained and edgy in his upper range and has no humor at all for Papageno. Francisco Araiza matches him in shrillness and aggressive attack. Samuel Ramey's Sarastro is overly cautious, and he becomes hollow and wobbly in the lowest notes of the part, which are notoriously hard to control. Only the young Cheryl Studer, singing the Queen of the Night (an amazing feat for a future Salome and Elsa) makes you sit up and recognize a sterling effort. Marriner's basic interpretation is agreeable enough, if nothing inspired.

In all, this should have been a serious contener for the best Magic Flute but wound up being a victim of crossed stars.

This is a recording that has garnered considerable praise, but to my ears is rather a mixed bag. The soloists are generally excellent, the recorded sound is fine and the orchestra plays extremely well. What I found objectionable was the conducting.

While a case can be made for a wide range of interpretation of most pieces, I think that Marriner's frequent very fast tempi do not convey the sense of Die Zauberflote. The comic numbers seem breathless, and the solemn ones sometimes lack weight and depth.

Morover, the range of tempi is extremely wide, with Pamina's "Ach, ich Fuhls"- which is, admittedly, sung with ravishingly beautiful tone and astounding control by Kiri Te Kawana- the slowest in my experience. The contrast between the extreme tempos frequently breaks the flow from number to number. In the end, I felt disconnected from the feeling of the piece, and found myself intellectualizing about the performance: as a performance rather than as music.

Although one rarely finds a performance in large complex works, like Die Zauberflote, that is superior in all area, I have had more satisfaction from several other recordings, notably those conducted by Karl Bohm and Bernard Haitink, whose pacing emphaises the continuity, and blends the disparate elements, more effectively. Those for whom fast tempi are less of a problem will likely find much to admire in this performance.

Mozart's DIE ZAUBERFLOTE was the composer's last opera and has remained one of his most enduring works. Its plot is simple enough. The prince Tamino is on a journey. He sees a picture of the beautiful Pamina and is promised her hand in marriage by her mother, the Queen of the Night, that he if he rescues her from the evil Sarastro. Tamino sets out on his journey to rescue Pamina, armed with his magic flute. He is assisted by Papageno, who is also on a journey of love for his soul-mate Papagena. As they journey they discover that the Queen of the Night and not Sarastro is the evil one. The end of the opera has the two couples Tamino and Pamina and Papageno and Papagena united. Along the way they have a journey of self discovery. The themes of good v. evil, light and darkness, the search for love, and the surreal setting both is the past and present has led to all sorts of speculations as toy what the opera is truly about, but the mysterious setting and beautiful music has enchanted audiences for years.

This set has a number of credible performers. Kiri Te Kanawa's Pamina is probably the most consistent and involved performance on the set. I've always enjoyed tenor Francisco Araiza's voice. I'm not sure he ever received the recognition he deserves. Perhaps it's because his best known roles are not the powerhouse roles championed by other great tenors, or maybe he was born either too early or late. Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras dominated the stage in his early career and his voice was somewhat gone when before contemporary favorites such as Alanga and Flores took the stage. Araiza's arias are beautiful in this set, but apart from the arias he has moments where he tends to strain. The Queen of the Night's arias are among opera's most challenging works and Cheryl Studer sings them as written with no embellishments. While the performances cannot be criticized, at least from a technical point of view, something may be missing for some listeners. Samuel Ramey's Sarastro is also perfunctory. He's familiar with the role and his voice is well suited for it, but again it's technical at some points.

The set has been criticized for having star power and little else, but listeners enjoy it and it seems to have staying power. This is the first ZAUBERFLOTE I purchased, and I believe it did help me not only to become familiar with work, but to appreciate its beauty. The reason may be its conductor, Sir Neville Marriner. He keeps the performance moving and the orchestra and chorus are superb. He also keeps it even handed and in a work with so many varying musical features, this is not an easy task. While not all of the individual performances are perfect, as an ensemble the recording works very well, in some cases better than some of the more acclaimed sets available.

Enjoy!

This is a good version of The Magic Flute and that is that. It is not incredible, nor terrible, but good. With Samuel Ramey and Kiri te Kanawa, it is rare that this would be deemed a mere "good", but this version had problems. First of all, Araiza as Tamino was quite good (a mere "Good" again) but honked at times. Kiri te Kanawa's grand voice, beautiful as it is, especially in, "Ach, ich fuhls", is far too rich for Pamina. She is famous in the role, but I still prefer Lucia Popp. I did enjoy Olaf Bar's bouncy, happy Papageno, especially in "Der Vogelfanger." Samuel Ramey sang Sarastro richly and sweetly, I cannot find any reason to criticize Ramey. Cheryl Studer was the main problem.Singing the Queen of the Night is never easy or even hard, I think it is something else. However, her strained, weak, "Der Holle" could easily make someone with a voice like Dame Kiri's burst out laughing, not cringing in horror. The orchestra is fairly good, and the conducting is well-paced. However . . . my overall impact was that this cd was passable, but not quite as good as . . . oh, maybe Bernard Haitink's version with Benjamin Luxon and Leo Goeke or William Christie's version with Hans Peter Blochwitz and Natalie Dessey, though the latter also suffers from the Weak Queen disease.

I've owned this Magic Flute for close to ten years, sitting on the shelf and periodically I pull it out to give it a listen. I wasn't thrilled with it upon initial purchase. The Penguin Guide recommended it highly, claiming it as first choice for this opera back in the 1990s and I always felt it was a bit lukewarm. But listening to it recently, I would say it's still pretty good. The dialogue and recitatives are rushed tempo wise, probably to fit the opera on two discs. But it's not that deal of a big deal, it's better to have the dialogue than not, like in the Klemperer recording.

The singers contained within are some starry names and I enjoyed most of them. Studer is a powerhouse Queen of the Night. Te Kanawa is too mature to play naive, youthful Pamina, but her voice is gorgeous enough to care it through. Ramey is an imposing Sarastro but Araiza is no match for Wunderlich on the Bohm version. Bar is not the finest Papageno around but he'll do.

The digital sound can be somewhat metallic here and there, but this irks me less now than it did initially. Marriner's direction is clean and precise with enough humility to yield to his singers and their charms. The chorus lacks a bit of weight in the finale but that's to be expected in this day and age of classical Mozart. I must be satisfied with this Magic Flute, because although it's not especially inspired, it has many of the right elements to make it worthwhile and I still keep in my collection.

A great, balanced recording. Olaf Bear and Kiri Te Kanawa blend exceptionally well...Kiri especially, sounding incredible. As always! Cheryl Studer's a great Queen of The Night, and Jose Van Damme does a great job...he's one of my favourite male singers. All round, it's a great recording, and doesn't lack a thing. Especially, as I said...Olaf and Kiri.